12 Kolkata: A day after the directorate of Drug Control busted a medicine racket in Howrah, medicine wholesalers and retailers across the state have sounded the alarm as a bulk of the medicines seized during the raid were copies of some of the market-leading brands.
More worrying for the consumers, the fake medicine manufacturers even copied the QR code, which actually differentiates the authentic medicines from the spurious ones.
On Thursday, Drug Control officials, based on a complaint from a pharma giant, conducted searches at the premises of a medicine wholesaler in Amta, Howrah. While the officials seized medicines worth Rs 17 lakh, they were shocked to find that fake medicines worth more than Rs 1 crore were already distributed across the state.
A bulk of the medicines that were seized included Telemisartan and Metformin, used in the treatment of high blood pressure and blood sugar.
"We are most worried about the way in which the QR Code on the back of the medicine strip was copied. The QR Code was introduced for nearly 300 medicines since 2023 to help consumers avoid counterfeit and substandard drugs," said Prithwi Bose, general secretary of Bengal Chemist and Druggists Association.
Retailers across the state are worried about the fake medicines already in circulation. The wholesaler Bablu Manna claimed that he was procuring the medicines from Bihar and booked the medicines online. He also showed some receipts to the investigators. "The wholesaler has been supplying to retailers across the state, and we are worried about that. The medicines belonged to well-reputed pharmaceutical companies, and they copied it entirely," said Somnath Ghosh of Metro Pharma.
According to sources, two more agencies linked to the owner are under the scanner now. Manna's membership with the organisation was cancelled. "We have found at least two more agencies registered in the name of two of his relatives. We have informed the directorate of Drugs Control about it," said Bose. Manna was arrested and produced at the court on Friday.
Earlier last month, the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation seized spurious drugs worth Rs 6.6 crore from Kolkata.